Quesnel
Lake, is one of British Columbia's deepest lakes,
in fact, it is the world's deepest known fiord lake.
A fiord lake, is a lake that a glacier cutting deep
into a valley bottom created, making them narrow and
very deep. Quesnel Lake, is no exception. It is 530
metres (1739 feet) deep, narrow and backed by mountains.
Some peaks in the Cariboo Mountain reach heights of
2,400 metres (8,000 feet) and add a majestic look
to the region.

Quesnel
Lake, in the shape of a wishbone with its arms and
many bays provides 800 km (500 mi.) of shoreline for
boaters, canoers and kayakers
to explore. Hundreds head to Quesnel Lake to try their
luck at landing that big one. The lake is famous for
its trophy sized native rainbow,
lake trout, Dolly Varden and kokanee.

The
north arm of the lake features many bays and islands
that have campsites, sandy beaches and moorage. Canada
Geese, ospreys and eagles are plentiful on this
portion of the lake. Terrain along the east arm is
much different. The shoreline is steep and rocky with
few protected moorage spots. Mountain goats love this area and
are often seen on the side of the cliffs.

Wildlife
photographic opportunities are everywhere. Roaming
this region are grizzly and black bears, moose, wolves,
mountain goats and mountain caribou. Much of this
pristine wilderness area has remained untouched by
civilization. Boating and fishing
this large Cariboo lake is an experience that will
be remembered. Other recreational activities are hiking,
swimming, canoeing, gold panning or just exploring.
The area is filled with history that dates to the
gold rush days.

Likely
and Horsefly,
are two communities, near Quesnel Lake catering to
visitors needs and wants. Likely is 93 km (58 mi.)
east of Williams
Lake and Horsefly is approximately 70 km. (48
mi.) away. A paved road from 150 Mile House on Highway
97 leads to Likely at the western end of Quesnel Lake
and privately owned full facility campgrounds. Or
take the Horsefly turn off, past Horsefly Lake to
the east section of Quesnel Lake, where there are
private campgrounds and facilities.

For
exciting and interesting pleasure boating and exploring,
Quesnel Lake in the Cariboo Chilcotin, truly fills
the bill. Because this lake is narrow and deep it
is prone to unpredictable weather, winds can be sudden
and the lake can become treacherous for boaters. Staying
as close to shore as possible is best. Be safe, have
fun!

The
largest natural, high elevation, freshwater lake in
North America is found in our own backyard in the
Cariboo
Chilcotin region of British Columbia. It is Chilko
Lake, with turquoise blue waters and spectacular
mountains, making it one of the most scenic sites
in BC. Ts'yl-os
(Sigh-loos) Park, a wilderness park area of 233,240
hectares (576,100 acres), encompasses Chilko Lake
and part of the Coast Mountains. Chilko Lake is approximately
160 km (100 mi.) southwest of Williams
Lake and can be reached off Highway 20 from two
different locations. One access is from Hanceville
and the other from Tatla
Lake.

Chilko
Lake is a glacier fed 80 km.(50 mi.) long lake. It
is narrow, very cold and known as a great fishing
lake. The lake yields Dolly
Varden, rainbow and lake trout, while chinook
and sockeye salmon are found in the Chilko River.
Chilko is an important spawning lake for sockeye,
pink and chinook salmon. Boating on Chilko Lake means
always being careful as high winds and rough waters
can happen quickly and anytime. The best time to enjoy
boating and water sports is early in the morning or
late in the evening.

Explore
the area on horseback, check out the many hiking trails
that lead to alpine meadows, or go aerial sightseeing.
Take your camera, wildlife is abundant in the park,
you might see deer, moose, grizzly bears, mountain
goats and sheep. Bird
watching is excellent in this area. Many bird species
call this home, including the Peregrine falcon and
Vaux's swift.

This
wilderness park offers twenty undeveloped camp sites
in two different campgrounds.
Several resorts with first class accommodations, meals,
cabins, RV and tent sites are found on Chilko Lake.
For a wilderness getaway, which is hard to beat, make
your way into Ts'il-os Wilderness Park and Chilko
Lake.